#1 two years in a row: Ross Net Impact leads Michigan in both thought & action

NASHVILLE, Ten. - For the second year in a row, Ross' Net Impact chapter was named the Chapter of the Year by the national Net Impact organization. Ross' repeat honors were announced Saturday at the national conference in Nashville.

Net Impact, which represents over 10,000 MBA students and professionals committed to leveraging the power of business to address social, environmental, and economic issues, recognized the Michigan chapter for its continued growth, its high level of activity and engagement, its influence on the Ross community, and its efforts to assist the development of other Net Impact chapters. "This honor is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated students, and it reflects the Ross community's strong belief that these issues are central to a well-rounded and forward-looking business education," said Ross Chapter Co-President Vanessa Frey. The Chapter of the Year designation placed Ross at the top of a field that included over 130 chapters from across the globe and ahead of chapters at Yale, Duke, and Northwestern, which all received honorable mentions.

The three-day national conference attracted a record breaking 1,700 students and professional participants, reflecting the growing interest in business' social and environmental impact. Over 60 Ross students participated in the conference, and the school was one of only two whose delegations exceeded 60 members.

Hosted by Vanderbilt University's Owen School of Management, the event featured keynote addresses from Patagonia CEO and sustainable business pioneer, Yvon Chouinard and DuPont CEO Chad Holliday. Attendees were also able to choose from 90 different panel discussions with over 300 speakers and panelists representing a broad array of businesses and non-profit organizations. Panel issue areas included business and the environment, business and health, corporate impact, international development, the social sector, and career development.

Kicking off the conference, delegates participated in a wide-ranging and candid keynote conversation with Patagonia's Chouinard. Led by author Andrew Savitz, the discussion covered Chouniard's views on the state of global business, insights on Patagonia, and his perspective on the future. Offering what he called "creative pessimism," Chouinard was not optimistic about the state of the world but encouraged conferees to examine their own consumption habits and to continue their efforts to change how business operates.

DuPont's Holliday offered his perspective on the challenges that business and society face in the effort to address climate change, and he spent over an hour fielding questions directly from conference participants. Holliday stressed the need for public policies that will bring greater clarity and certainty to the issues surrounding carbon emissions and environmental impact, and he contended that innovative solutions, particularly in the area of transportation, would help transform the dire environmental predictions into real opportunities to improve the human condition.

The weekend's discussions offered attendees a broad examination of business' social and environmental impact as well as insights into the innovative work going on in both the private and social sectors, and they provided an opportunity to network with others committed to the growing field. This year's conference also offered the opportunity for students to initiate and lead panels and presentations of their own. Second year Ross and Erb Institute student Nina Henning was selected, and she led a well-attended lunch time session on the base of the pyramid project for the Scojo Foundation that she is working on with Professor Ted London. The conference also included a career expo featuring over 68 businesses and social sector organizations, such as Google, Accenture, Timberland, the Gap, Teach for America, Ashoka, Population Service International, and the National Park Service.

The repeat honors cap a fall season of good news for the Ross chapter. In October, the Ross School of Business climbed five spots to the #2 position in the Aspen Institute's "Beyond Grey Pinstripes" ranking of innovative full-time MBA programs that are successfully integrating issues of social and environmental stewardship into the curriculum. The school's improved position in the rankings is credited, in part, to Ross Net Impact's effort to elevate the issues throughout the Ross community over the past two years since the original 2005 rankings.